Tennessee Republican lawmaker entering congressional race

Rep. Jay Reedy, a Dickson Republican, will run for Congress in Tennessee’s District 7. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

Tennessee Rep. Jay Reedy confirmed he is running for the 7th Congressional District seat set to be vacated by U.S. Rep. Mark Green.

Reedy, an Erin Republican, said he filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to enter the election and could announce his candidacy this week.

Green is planning to leave the post after voting on President Donald Trump’s spending plan, creating an opening for a host of candidates in a special election to be scheduled this year. 

Reedy is the latest Republican to say he will run for the seat, a position he said he wants to fill in an effort to cut federal bureaucracy and support Trump’s policies. Reedy testified for federal prosecutors in the April political corruption trial against former House Speaker Glen Casada and his top aide, Cade Cothren, who were convicted on nearly 20 counts of conspiracy, fraud and kickbacks.

In his sixth two-year House term, Reedy said he has been bothered by the federal government’s slow reaction to flood damage in Waverly in August 2021 where 20 people died and the community lost two school buildings. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency provided $20 million to replace the schools, but FEMA required Waverly to resubmit paperwork, delaying work on the projects.

In addition, Reedy said the U.S. Department of Education should be eliminated because of its expense, roughly $268 billion, about $2.6 billion of which is sent to Tennessee. He also questioned environmental enforcement on farmland across the state.

“The federal government needs to stay out of Tennessee’s business,” Reedy said, adding he signed numerous lawsuits against the Obama and Biden administrations.

Other Republican candidates for the post are former Tennessee General Services Commissioner Matt Van Epps, and Springfield resident Jon Thorpe and Jason Knight of Clarksville.

Van Epps recently announced his leadership team with car dealership magnate Lee Beaman and his wife, Julie, serving as honorary co-chairs. Alex Joyner, who managed Green’s re-election campaigns in 2022 and 2024, will serve as campaign manager, and Rachel Barrett, another Green staffer, will lead finance operations. 

No Democratic candidates have announced yet they will run.